This year things will be a bit different from past years. The first thing that you will notice is that there is no date for a Grand Masters Banquet. That’s because I am not having one. In 2018 when I was first elected as Grand Master I held a banquet in Orangeville. It was fun, A lot of you attended. It was a wonderful meal with lots of good fellowship.
The world has changed. Food has increased dramatically in price, fuel costs have gone crazy and hotel costs have increased . I will not ask you to spend your money on coming to see me at a banquet then expect you to spend money to come see me when I visit your District. What I am proposing is that you calculate what you would have spent coming to a dinner in Orangeville. Think about your gas, the meal and possibly a hotel. Add those three things up. Now divide it in half or even four . Write a cheque to the IOOF Senior’s Home, in Barrie, and in remarks put Grand Master’s Project. I am the Vice Chair of the Board at the Barrie Home . We are undergoing a 63 million dollar expansion. Every penny will help. Oh wait, we don’t have pennies anymore. Every nickel will help! Come see me when I come to your District!
The other thing that you will notice is that none of the Officers are wearing white jackets. And not all of the officers are wearing black tuxedos, some might be wearing a black suit. Being a Grand Lodge appointed officer is an honour. I don’t want it to be a financial burden to my officers. I spoke with Brother Jason Walt and told him I was not going to use white dinner jackets. He will not be next year. Brother Mark Volkov will not be using them in 2 years. It’s enough that these folks have to pay all the expenses that come with attending sessions. I didn’t want to add the price of a dinner jacket. I also didn’t want them to have to buy/rent a tuxedo. I told them if they had a three piece black suit that would suffice.
I just wanted to you know what I was thinking about when I made these decisions. I hope that you all have a great year and I REALLY look forward to coming out to see you in your Districts.
Yours in Friendship , Love and Truth,
Bro Gene Dopp,
Grand Master, 2024- 2025.
